Chapter 292: Chapter 291: One Step Closer to the King of the Outer Instep
He instinctively wanted to swear, but upon remembering that it was a pass from Director Keira, he quickly closed his mouth and even freed one hand to give Deng Kai a thumbs up.
Generous praise does no harm.
Who would have thought that the situation would change suddenly?
The football that was well above the goal suddenly dropped, as if slapped down by an invisible hand.
Ibrahimovic had drawn the defenders, including the goalkeeper, to the near post.
At this moment, the far post was terrifyingly empty.
The football continued to drop and finally just dipped below the crossbar, drilling into the goal near the very corner of the far post.
A Beckenbauer-esque pass and shoot!
When you flick pass the football with the outside of your boot and it’s above the crossbar, the ball will plummet sharply!
The goal was scored!
Everyone was stunned for quite a while.
Then the commentator finally reacted, "It went in! The ball went in! My god! It really went in!"
"Deng Kai on the left with an outside-of-the-boot flick pass, this kick seemed both a pass and a shot, directly resulting in a goal!"
"It’s miraculous! Such technique is truly rare!"
"If you’d say Quaresma’s outside-of-the-boot pass earlier was like a Da Vinci painting of a thousand eggs, more about effort than talent. Then Deng Kai’s outside-of-the-boot is truly out of this world, he himself probably couldn’t replicate this kick a second time!"
"It seems that at Lisbon, mastery of the outside-of-the-boot isn’t limited to Quaresma alone, Deng Kai’s technique could definitely give Quaresma a run for his money."
"But no matter who’s slightly better, the king of outside-of-the-boot in the Portuguese league is definitely one of these two!"
"Additionally, we had underestimated Ibrahimovic again. Everyone thought he had misjudged the ball, but it turns out Ibrahimovic’s movement was premeditated. He intentionally distracted for Deng Kai, drawing players to the near post, creating the condition for Deng Kai’s direct goal."
"They might have practiced together, Ibrahimovic might have known what Deng Kai truly aimed for was a lofty goal! Otherwise, Ibrahimovic wouldn’t have given Deng Kai a thumbs up so early. After all, from the angle of the pass, it was clearly substandard."
"No wonder the Swede has been able to claim the main spot after the injury of Drogba, it looks like he has a spark with Deng Kai. After Drogba recovers, it might be hard to shake Ibrahimovic’s starting position."
The commentator rationalized brilliantly, providing unassailable theoretical support.
Everything was just perfect.
Two to one, after a difficult period, Lisbon still achieved the score they deserved.
And it looked like the first half was nearly over.
The main referee didn’t seem to have any thoughts about changing the score anymore.
Two to one, probably also met the goals set by his superiors.
A single goal, just a "point" to catch up, right?
But on the substitute bench, Trigella’s pupils contracted.
Now’s the moment!
The main referee was becoming careless.
The opposing players were also waiting to head into the locker room to hear new instructions from their coach.
This was the best opportunity.
He believed Deng Kai would not miss such an opportunity.
Indeed!
Almost immediately, Deng Kai suddenly launched a long transfer pass.
There was no need for a ball behind, since it was unnecessary.
The opposing fullbacks had all pulled back.
Seeing the situation, Ibrahimovic immediately started running.
Viana decisively stormed the penalty area.
Ronaldo faced the covering fullback, his feet seemed to catch fire, no, they sparked electricity.
Electrifying step-overs beautifully executed, leaving the opponent unable to care for themselves.
Bang!
Ronaldo successfully swept the football across.
This sweeping pass was so forceful and strong, anyone touching it might have turned it into a shot on goal.
Unfortunately, no one managed to touch this ball.
Ronaldo clutched his wrist in frustration, his first assist of the season was gone again, these blockheads, was stretching a foot out that hard?
If there was another Ronaldo in the penalty area, it would definitely have been a goal.
But on the other side, Quaresma chased after the ball and took control.
Facing the opponent rushing towards him, Quaresma raised his foot to cross, directly fooling the opponent into jumping.
Bang!
Quaresma passed the ball back to Deng Kai effortlessly.
Deng Kai flicked the ball and turned around outside the right side of the penalty box, the football was in front of him to his left, and he was raising his right leg.
This move, definitely a pass aiming for the far post.
Ronaldo was rushing towards that position.
This was one of the points with the highest scoring rate in Sporting Lisbon’s matches this year.
It was also the spot where Ronaldo and Deng Kai combined most frequently for passes and shots.
Bang!
Deng Kai suddenly changed his footwork.
The football flew up.
It was indeed the far post.
It was indeed for Ronaldo.
But... was the ball a bit too high?
Let alone Ronaldo, even Ibrahimovic wouldn’t have reached it, right?
And why use the outside of the foot for the pass?
He could clearly have used a normal inside pass just now.
A greater curve, softer, more accurate, what’s not to like?
"Ronaldo leapt high!"
"Deng Kai’s outside-of-the-foot flick created a certain arc, the football’s landing point shifted, Ronaldo might not reach it!"
"Ronaldo tilts his head!"
"That was close, the football almost flew too high, luckily it dropped a bit in the second half. Deng Kai really pressed well with the outside of his foot, it just doesn’t look much like a pass!"
Whoosh!
The commentator’s words became prophetic.
The pass aimed for the far post drifted towards the goal, it was uncertain whether it connected with Ronaldo’s head, but ultimately, it flew into the net.
"GOAL! Ronaldo! It’s Ronaldo! Deng Kai assisted Ronaldo to score!"
"Although he didn’t earn an assist, a goal for a forward is clearly a net gain!"
"Truly the twin stars of Sporting Lisbon! Rosenborg clearly picked the wrong opponent today! Three to one! Ronaldo has widened the score for the team... wait, what do you mean? Isn’t it Ronaldo?"
"Oh! The slow-motion replay is playing back, there seems to be an issue with that goal."
"Ronaldo is pointing to his hair, he’s claiming it’s his goal."
"But the head referee is communicating with the linesman... the decision has been reversed! The goal still stands, but the scorer is changed from Ronaldo to Deng Kai. This is Deng Kai, scoring two goals within three minutes!"
"Truly the most brilliant star of Sporting Lisbon! Rosenborg clearly..."
Hearing the commentator’s words, many viewers felt as if transported to another world.
That phrase sounds familiar.
It seems no matter who scores, you always say the same thing, huh?
Hey!
Commentator: How fresh!
Poor Quaresma was still applauding Deng Kai’s goal, not knowing that the crown of ’King of the Outside of the Foot’ had already half shifted to Deng Kai’s head!
Subsequently, the first half of the match ended.
During the halftime break, Trigella calmed the players’ emotions in the locker room.
Everyone felt the issues with the officiating in the match, but as the leading team, they needed to first eliminate these distractions.
Especially the defenders, they absolutely must not make mistakes on the defensive end.
The second half of the match.
In the fifty-fourth minute, Ibrahimovic protested to the head referee, and received a yellow card.
He was brought down inside the penalty box, but the head referee did not stop the play, and Ibrahimovic angrily questioned the decision.
Regarding whether a forward dived, there are many ways to judge.
A short slow-motion video is actually not the most reliable.
A simpler judgment is through the attitude of the player who was fouled.
[PS: It’s so tough! Peach has been typing so long, besides during the new book period, when have I not updated eight to ten thousand words a day? These four thousand words a day are hardly enough, and every day it’s a struggle to survive, with headaches, bodyaches, hot and cold flashes at night keeping me awake, and various recurring conditions, it feels like anxiety... Recently, I need everyone’s patience. Once Peach is healthier, there will definitely be more updates. Thank you for your support!]
